18 December 2014

Today I have released the Green Paper into the future of
health services in Tasmania.

It’s an important step in our journey of making better care
available for all.

As I move around the community I hear from patients, their
families and carers about how much respect and admiration they have for the
staff who work in our health system.

I also hear many ideas for making it better.

That’s why I announced reforms this year – One State, One
Health System, Better Outcomes reforms.

I can provide a brief update on how other aspects of the
reforms are progressing:

·Creation
of a single statewide Tasmanian Health Service by 1 July 2015 – preparations
underway and on-track for commencement on time.

·A
new Health Council of Tasmania to provide expert clinical and consumer advice
on health reform – Chaired by Denise Fassett, it was announced this week and
has met for the first time.

·Reform
of the DHHS – to focus the insight and talents of its staff on managing the
health system efficiently – underway.

The Green Paper I’ve released today describes the challenges
facing our health system and starts the conversation about finding solutions.

Central to our reform plans is the development of a Clinical
Services Profile that will describe where services can be located so that all
Tasmanians have equal and fair access to better services.

We all want to have services located near where we live and,
for many essential services; this is what we should strive for.

It’s important to recognise that we can’t always have
complex, high-risk services in all locations. It is not safe and it is
not sustainable.

Our job is to make these hard decisions about how we balance
this mix of regional and statewide services.

I urge all Tasmanians with an interest in health service
delivery to consider the details of the health Green Paper.

As you do so, please bear in mind the following:

The
Green Paper isn’t about saving money; it’s about getting better health outcomes
for all Tasmanians. No
hospitals will close and every Tasmanian community will have access to better
care. It’s
about shifting the conversation from one about better access to care to one
about access to better care.

The release of the Green Paper will be followed in the New
Year by consultation, including with Tasmanian communities and with the health
sector over the next two months.

More details of forums and meetings will be released in
coming days.

Submissions will be considered before a final White Paper on
health reform is released in March 2015, forming the basis of future action.

2. Let’s have a
conversation about the language of health - a
conversation about health - where health starts - in our everyday lives

Health is influenced by lots of things & we want to find
out what Tasmanians from all walks of life have to say about their health &
its determinants. In 2015, the Social Determinants of Health Advocacy Network -
Tasmania will oversee a project that will involve talking to people in the
community about how they understand the language of social determinants of
health (SDOH) - the language that they use and is meaningful to them.

“It is striking that anyone who uses the term “social
determinants of health” is not likely to be someone who is at risk from
them...We need a language we can all understand, and we need to hear from those
who are first in the queue to be harmed.” (Senior, T)

The project will help in unpacking a language we can all
understand, which will assist us to better engage across the range of sectors
and disciplines that are implicated in the SDOH. The project will present key
learnings about the language of SDOH, which may contribute to enhanced
community engagement and more empathetic practice. It will explore how
community insights on SDOH can enhance advocacy efforts of civil society, as
well as lobbyists working in the scientific space, to influence upstream policy
change. Lastly, it will make recommendations about the language of SDOH, and
compare findings to the work of others in this area.

We would like to hear from anyone who would like to be
involved in the development of this project. If you have ideas to contribute as
we plan for its implementation in 2015, please contact

Lifeline Tasmania is opening its 2015
intake for volunteers in the Hobart region wanting to become a Telephone Crisis
Supporter on the 13 11 14 crisis line.

Successful applicants will undertake
extensive training, make a commitment to shifts and meet further selection
criteria. This is to ensure volunteers are confident, skilled and able to
provide support to Lifeline’s Callers in their time of emotional distress and
crisis. If you’re interested, this type of volunteering will be very rewarding.

In
this guest post, Ronald Labonté traces the history of neoliberalism
through structural adjustment programs, the Great Recession and into current
Austerity Agendas. Labont é examines why neoliberalism continues to dominate
economic agendas and what types of policy messages are needed to combat the
resulting health plagues. This post is cross-posted at Global Health Watch
in support of the latest alternative world health report. Labonté holds
a Canada Research Chair in Globalization and Health Equity at the Institute of
Population Health, and is Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of
Ottawa; and in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Flinders University of South
Australia.

We prepared a submission to this Committee last time and
will probably do so again. If you would like to contribute please get in touch.
The deadline is Monday 16 February 2015. For the terms of reference and further
information: http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Joint/PHC1.htm

Southern
Rethink Mental Health Project CSO Consultation

We invite you to the Southern Rethink Mental Health Project
CSO Consultation. This consultation will be held on the 15 December 2014, 1pm –
3pm, Hockey Function Centre, 19 Bell Street, Newtown. (Please contact the
Mental Health Council to find out about consultations in other parts of the
state).

As you may be aware, the Rethink Mental Health Project is
aimed at providing an independent analysis of the current mental health
services being provided in Tasmania, and the gaps and barriers that exist
within the sector. The information gathered in this analysis will guide future
system reform and investment.

The questions that will be asked at the consultation, as
well as a more detailed overview of the Rethink Mental Health Project, are in
the Discussion paper -http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/173484/DP-2014-10-10_Final.pdf
. We would appreciate your consideration of this document prior to the meeting,
keeping in mind that not all areas will be covered during consultation.
Participants will be provided with information on further involvement in the
Project following the group consultation.

This set of recommendations (available in English, Spanish
or French) towards a Global Convention to protect and promote healthy diets has
been developed to encourage policy makers to build on the work of the UN to
combat obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Ten years after the launch of the WHO Global Strategy on
Diet Physical Activity and Health, no country has succeeded in significantly
reversing the rising tide of obesity or diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases are
rapidly increasing in many lower middle-income countries. Change is urgently
needed.

When people involved in children’s feeding programs were
asked to describe them, without exception they were described using phrases
that reflected the perception of ‘wonderfulness’. This paper critically
analyses the ‘wonderfulness’ of children’s feeding programs by examining the
language used to describe these programs, and the features of a ‘wonderful’
program through an analysis of a multi-site, qualitative case study of nine
diverse programs in Atlantic Canada. When participants justified their comments
about the ‘wonderfulness’ of children’s feeding programs, they did so based
upon five perceptions of program strengths: enhanced family coping; providing
good food and nutrition; socializing and making friends; behaving well in school;
and volunteerism. We suggest that programs can be designed to be innately
‘wonderful’ if they are community- and charity-based, support a noble cause
such

as the elimination of child hunger, engage good people as
donors and volunteers, and provide a direct service to children apart from
their families. We challenge health promoters to beware of the ‘wonderful’
program; its ‘wonderfulness’ may actually be masking unintended negative
impacts upon its participants.

This third edition of Health at a Glance: Europe
presents a set of key indicators related to health status, determinants of
health, health care resources and activities, quality of care, access to care,
and health expenditure and financing in 35 European countries, including the 28
European Union member states, four candidate countries and three EFTA
countries. The selection of indicators is based largely on the European Core
Health Indicators (ECHI) shortlist, a set of indicators that has been developed
to guide the reporting of health statistics in the European Union. This is
complemented by additional indicators on quality of care, access to care and
health expenditure, building on the OECD expertise in these areas. Compared
with the previous edition, this third edition includes a greater number of ECHI
indicators, reflecting progress in the availability of comparable data in the
areas of non-medical determinants of health and access to care. It also
includes a new chapter dedicated to access to care, including selected
indicators on financial access, geographic access and timely access.

The
Wolfson Research Institute welcomed Professor Danny Dorling to deliver the
Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing's Annual Lecture
'Health Inequalities and the 1%' on Wednesday 19 November 2014.

The 2014/15 edition examines the link between wages and
inequality at the household level. It shows that wages constitute the largest
single source of income for households with at least one member of working age
in most countries and points to changes in wages and paid employment as key
factors underlying recent trends in inequality. The report also considers wage
gaps between certain groups, such as those between women and men, migrants and
nationals, and workers in the informal and formal economy.

Inequality can be addressed through policies that affect wage distribution
directly or indirectly, as well as through fiscal redistribution. However,
increasing inequality in the labour market places a heavier burden on efforts
to reduce inequality through taxes and transfers. The report thus emphasizes
the need for combined policy action that includes minimum wages, strengthened
collective bargaining, interventions to eliminate wage gaps, the promotion of paid
employment and redistribution through taxes and transfers.

Resources,
Principles, and the Practice of Health Equity

A compilation of training resources for community health
care service providers in the Champlain region

Regional and
Remote Australians face more health care barriers

People living in outer regional or very remote areas of
Australia were more likely to face barriers to accessing health care compared
with people living in major cities. Click
here to read more.

Building a
good life: the role of natural supports in recovery from mental illness

Anglicare Tasmania, Social Action Research Centre (SARC)

One in two Australians will experience mental illness at
some point in their lives. Many, however, will live in recovery. This research
explores the lived experience of people recovering from mental illness across
Tasmania and asks them how natural supports helped them to reclaim their lives.
Natural supports are those that typically occur in everyday life and include
relationships with family, friends, peers and other social networks.

The Building
a good life research identifies the range of natural supports used by
people recovering from mental illness, explores the links between natural
supports and social inclusion and recovery, and reviews how mental health
service providers currently understand and experience their work in helping
people make the most of natural supports.

And finally, if you would like to support some improvements to the Croakey site
while also knocking off the Christmas shopping and getting yourself some nifty
public health T-shirts/mugs etc – please check out the new Croakey merchandise
range at Redbubble (you can get the designs as T-shirts, pillow case covers,
phone covers, cards, mugs etc) http://www.redbubble.com/people/rocklilydesign/collections/341262-croakey

Many thanks to Ben Harris-Roxas, Tim Senior and Lesley Russell for suggesting
the designs.

All the best
Melissa Sweet

*******************************************

This post has been compiled for the Social Determinants of
Health Network in Tasmania.

The Network has been established to
help people work together to leverage action on the Social Determinants
of Health.

The social determinants of health
are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, play and age.
They are sometimes referred to as ‘the causes of the causes’ because
they are the underlying reasons why people experience poor health.

For more information about the
social determinants of health download the action sheets on the TasCOSS
website: www.tascoss.org.au.

The vision of the Network is for
All Tasmanians to have the opportunity to live a long, healthy life regardless
of their income, education, employment, gender, sexuality, capabilities,
cultural background, who they are or where they live.

Anyone who shares in this vision
can join. It’s free of charge. To join please email your details to socialdeterminantsofhealthtas@gmail.com

20 November 2014

Time is
running out to take part in the 2014 Regional Wellbeing Survey

The
National Rural Health Alliance is pleased to support the 2014 Regional
Wellbeing Survey. The
Centre for Research and Action in Public Health conducts the survey
to support research that improves the wellbeing and quality of life for people
living in rural and regional Australia.

We need your help to
hear their views. The 2014 survey is still open but closes at
midnight Sunday 30 November. Please
participate and forward this email to others who might be interested in the
survey. You can do the survey online at www.regionalwellbeing.org.au.
Or call 1800 981 499 if you’d like a paper survey, or any other help.
You can choose to do a short, regular or long version of the survey. The
survey is voluntary, confidential and anonymous.
Many communities are now using the Regional Wellbeing Survey’s results as a key
resource. To see last year’s results, click here.

The 2011-13 Australian
Health Survey (AHS) is the largest and most comprehensive health survey ever
conducted in Australia. The survey was designed to collect a range of
information from Australians about health related issues, including health
status, risk factors, socioeconomic circumstances, health-related actions and
use of medical services. In 2011-13, the AHS collected new information on
nutrition and physical activity. It also included the first national biomedical
information collection.

Louise is responsible for
the analysis and dissemination of information related to health. In particular,
she is responsible for the output of the Australian Health Survey including the
nutrition, physical activity and biomedical components and also the Patient
Experience Survey as well as forward planning for future cycles of these
surveys.

Mental Health Carers Tasmania – Caring
Voices Project

Mental Health Carers
Tasmania are excited to launch the Caring Voices Project. If you are a Carer we
would welcome your participation. Further information is detailed below.

Do you care for a person with mental ill
health?

We know that being a carer of a person with mental ill
health can be both rewarding & challenging

As part of the Caring Voices Project, we would like to
hear your story

Mental Health Carers Tasmania wants to develop a better
understanding of the issues faced by mental health carers so that we can
improve community understanding & advocate for the rights and needs of
mental health carers in Tasmania

A mental health carer is someone who provides unpaid
physical, practical or emotional support to a family member, friend, neighbour
or colleague with mental ill health

Participating in the Caring Voices Project will involve
completing either a written or online survey, or a telephone or face-to-face
interview

A Discussion paper has been prepared to start the discussion
about our mental health service system, what it looks like now, what it should
look like into the future and what should be in our a long term plan for mental
health in Tasmania.

Between March 2014 and January 2016, TAHPC’s “Networking End
of Life Care” Project will be offering 7 small grant rounds. Up to $5000 is
available via local communities partnerships to start new projects and
initiatives which will enhance capacity to provide support to people living
with life limiting illness, or to increase community understanding of hospice,
palliative care and bereavement issues.

For more information please contact

Anna Spinaze

Project Officer South (Community Development)

“Networking End of Life Care Across Tasmania”

Tasmanian Association for Hospice & Palliative Care
(TAHPC)

4/30 Patrick St, Hobart 7000

Mb: 0407 952 518

Office: 6231 2799

Mohammad Azadi
is an Iranian asylum seeker - a Sunni Muslim who faces persecution from the
majority Shi'a Government of Iran (Shared by Simone Favelle)

Mohammad's brother was killed for his religious beliefs, so
Mohammad decided to flee to Australia hoping to find safety.

If you want
wealth, you need health Medical experts from the around the world are set to converge on
Melbourne next month to ensure health issues are high on the agenda when the
leaders of the world’s biggest economies meet next year. Click here for full
article.

2015 Global Vote for Right to HealthArticle 25 is a global movement of everyday people who believe health is
a human right. Starting in January 2015, the group will hold the
first-ever global vote for the right to health to decide on which issues and
campaigns to advocate on over the following months. SDOHA members can
join this movement by signing up to
participate in the vote.

Health, equity and the post-2015 agenda: raising the
voices of marginalized communities

International
Journal for Equity in Health

Collection
published: October 2014

Edited by:
Mr Eric Friedman, Dr Peter Hill, Dr Ana Lorena Ruano

Background

After more
than a year of global consultations, the United Nations convenes to agree on a
broad outline of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals and begin a
year-long state negotiation process.

Concerned
that the voices of marginalized communities are not being sufficiently sought
out and listened to, the international research consortium 'Goals and
Governance for Global Health' (Go4Health) has undergone a series of
health-focused consultations in marginalized communities in nine countries to
seek their views on their essential health needs, accountability, and more.

Australian
Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) Report

Cardiovascular disease, diabetes
and chronic kidney disease were the underlying causes of 36% of all deaths in
2011, according to a report released today by the AIHW. The report shows
that cardiovascular disease (including coronary heart disease and stroke),
diabetes and chronic kidney disease were together the underlying cause of
almost 53,000 deaths in 2011. For further information click here .

The workshop title is: Common
ground: How can the health care and social services sectors strengthen
collaborative action to improve outcomes for Tasmanians?

Abstract:

The social services and health care
sectors have something significant in common: the majority of
people/clients/patients/communities that engage with both these sectors share
similar demographic and social characteristics. It is well known that people who experience social disadvantage are
over-represented as patients in the health care sector, i.e. greater
disadvantage = poorer health. This workshop will engage participants in
understanding the extent of the impact of social determinants on Tasmania's
health care system, and the associated challenges which result. Knowing that
the social services and health care sectors "share the same
clientele", the workshop will involve applying a shared problem-solving
framework to develop recommendations for actions.

It would be terrific if many of you could be part of this
discussion. As a warm up to this workshop, here’s an interesting paper you may
like to read: Time after Time — Health
Policy Implications

Once again as a Board member of the Australian Women’s
Health Network, I am proud to draw your attention to the latest of the
series of AWHN position papers - http://www.awhn.org.au/files.php?cat=1.
I hope you find it interesting and useful in your work.

For those of you receiving this kind of notice for the first
time or for your further interest I recommend the AWHN website (www.awhn.org.au) where
you will find a number of other position papers of interest.

The Senate’s Select Committee on Health is holding public
hearings in Hobart on the 3rd November, Devonport on the 4th
and Launceston the 5th.

4. A glossary of policy frameworks: the many
forms of ‘universalism’ and policy targeting A glossary of policy frameworks:
the many forms of ‘universalism’ and policy ‘targeting’

The recognition that certain characteristics (such as
poverty, disadvantage or membership of marginalised social or cultural groups) can
make individuals more susceptible to illness has reignited interest in how to
combine universal programs and policies with ones targeted to specific groups.
However, ‘universalism’ and ‘targeting’ are used in different ways for
different purposes. In this glossary we define different types, and approaches
to, universalism and targeting. We
anticipate that greater clarity in relation to what is meant by ‘universalism’
and ‘targeting’ will lead to more nuanced debate and practice in this area.
Read more: https://www.academia.edu/8675091/A_glossary_of_policy_frameworks_the_many_forms_of_universalism_and_policy_targeting

5 Cannabis Policy Framework (Canada)

You may be interested in this Cannabis
Policy Framework from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in
Canada, in which we recommend legalization with strict regulation as the most
effective means of reducing cannabis-related harms. There are fascinating SDoH
dimensions to this topic, which we explore in the document and in this
blog that accompanies it. Concerns about equity, particularly in the area
of law enforcement, are part of the reason CAMH has moved away from its
previous pro-decriminalization position towards one that favours legalization with
strict regulation.

6. Invitation to provide input into the
development of a Discussion and Options Paper for Safe and Healthy Food in
Tasmania

If you were unable to attend the consultation forums that
were recently held but would like to provide input, the online
survey is now available until 9am, Friday 24 October 2014.

7. Addressing Social, Economic and
Environmental Determinants of Health and the Health Divide in the Context of
Sustainable Human Development

This week IHE and UNDP published a report and policy
briefing based on a project aimed at understanding whether, how and in which
ways UNDP's development projects in countries in Eastern Europe and Central
Asia address social, economic and environmental determinants of health and
health equity.

Social, economic and environmental factors are embedded in
development as the three interlinking pillars of sustainable human development.
They also, to a large extent, determine population health and the distribution
of health.

While health and development are inextricably linked, health
and development practitioners often operate in organisational silos.

In order to realise potential co-benefits for both health
and development and to prioritise areas for action, it is necessary to take
specific steps to integrate health and development. Bringing health and
development together will create opportunities for more impact. This study
shows how this can be done in a practical way.

8. *The State of Food Insecurity in the
World 2014*:The
State of Food Insecurity in the World 2014 presents updated estimates of
undernourishment and progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and
World Food Summit (WFS) hunger targets. A stock-taking of where we stand on
reducing hunger and malnutrition shows that progress in hunger reduction at the
global level and in many countries has continued but that substantial
additional effort is needed in others. Read more: http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2014/en/

Health 2020 is the health policy framework for the
European region. It aims to support action across government and society to:
“significantly improve the health and well-being of populations, reduce health
inequalities, strengthen public health and ensure people-centred health systems
that are universal, equitable, sustainable and of high quality”. This video
introduces the concept and elements of Health 2020.

From Julie Milnes, Health Promotion Coordinator (NW)

10. NW Health Promotion Network meetings

Come along and share your health promotion activities! The
videoconference sites are available

Starting Wednesday 5th November - A 3 week face to face and
online course for people working in a clinical setting. This express course
will get you on track with easy steps to make a big impact in working in health
promoting ways. If you're looking to reorient your service to be more health
promoting, then this is the course for you.

We hope that you find this work useful. Please do get in
touch with us with any feedback.

Best wishes,

The Institute of Health Equity

15. Women and Girls in Tasmania:

The Women and Girls in Tasmania Report (the
Report) provides a statistical snapshot of the current status of women and
girls in Tasmania.

The Report was initiated as a key action under the Tasmanian
Women's Plan 2013-2018 (the Women's Plan) as another vital step
forward for gender equality in Tasmania by improving the evidence-base we use
for policy and service development.

The Report provides a unique baseline profile of women and
girls in Tasmania by bringing together a range of data relevant at the
commencement of the Women's Plan that spans its six outcome areas:

This booklet communicates fundamental concepts about the
importance of health inequality monitoring, using text, figures, maps and
videos. Following a brief summary of main messages, four general principles
pertaining to health inequalities are highlighted:

health inequalities are widespread

health inequality is multidimensional

benchmarking puts changes in inequality in
context and

health inequalities inform policy

Each of the four principles is accompanied by figures or
maps that illustrate the concept, a question that is posed as an extension and
application of the material, and a link to a video, demonstrating the use of
interactive visuals to answer the question. The videos are accessible online by
scanning a QR code (a URL is also provided). The next section of the booklet
outlines essential steps forward for achieving health equity, including the
strengthening and equity orientation of health information systems through data
collection, data analysis and reporting practices. The use of visualization
technologies as a tool to present data about health inequality is promoted,
accompanied by a link to a video demonstrating how health inequality data can
be presented interactively. Finally, the booklet announces the upcoming State
of inequality report, and refers readers to the Health Equity Monitor homepage
on the WHO Global Health Observatory.

17 September 2014

The SDOHAN Advisory Group determined it appropriate that we
write to the Premier about the recently proposed abolition of the Tasmanian Early Years Foundation and Tasmanian Community Fund Boards. You will find a copy of the letter’s content below.

8th September 2014

The Honourable Will Hodgman

Premier of Tasmania

Tasmanian Government

GPO Box 123

HOBART TAS 7001

Dear Premier

Abolition of Tasmanian Early Years Foundation and Tasmanian
Community Fund

We write to express concern about the planned abolition of
the Tasmanian Early Years Foundation and Tasmanian Community Fund Boards.
Particularly in relation to the Tasmanian Early Years Foundation it appears as
though the Foundation itself will cease to exist. While we understand that the
Tasmanian Community Fund will still exist in some form but with a different
decision-making body, we are concerned that it will not be truly autonomous
from Government decision-making processes. We are writing to seek clarity on
these matters, to ask you what will replace these organisations, and how you
will ensure that the visions and missions of the organisations will not be lost
within the Government system.

Early childhood is a crucial developmental period. Children
who have a good start in life not only have healthier and happier childhoods,
but also enjoy far-reaching beneficial effects in adulthood.

There is significant evidence in Tasmania that many children
do not experience optimal early life conditions (e.g. 16% of children under 15
years live in poverty, 48% of children in Tasmania are in the bottom child
social exclusion quintile, in the last 10 years the number of child protection
notifications involving children under 5 years has more than doubled (NATSEM
2013 and Kids Come First 2013)), and this is why the work of the
Tasmanian Early Years Foundation is so important.

What could be more important than giving every Tasmanian
child the best possible start in life as a foundation for a healthy, happy and
positive future? This is the vision of the Foundation.

The Foundation has provided many opportunities, in
partnership with the Tasmanian community, to support children and their
families, and raise awareness and a commitment to the early years of childhood.
The Foundation has worked collaboratively to maximise the potential of Child
and Family Centres, and much work has been done to support organisations and
workers at the coal-face to develop and implement quality, evidence-informed program
and initiatives.

We would like to express our deep disappointment at the
Government’s proposed abolition of the Tasmanian Early Years Foundation and ask
that you please explain to us why this decision has been made. Is this really
going to save significant amount of money? Surely the health and wellbeing of
our children is more important? And isn’t it vital that we have a prominent
organisation that sits outside of Government to champion the needs of children
in early life?

In respect of the Tasmanian Community Fund Board, again we
wish to express our concern at your announcement of its cessation. Many
organisations depend on the Tasmanian Community Fund to develop programs and
build capacity. We believe it is important that grant programs such as this
should operate at arms-length from Government. Can you please clarify for us on
what basis this decision has been made?

We are also concerned that there appears to have been no
consultation with key stakeholders, or the community at large about these
decisions. As a result of this, we are writing this letter and would greatly
appreciate your response to these matters.

Kind regards

Miriam Herzfeld

Convenor, Social Determinants of Health Advocacy Network

cc.

Hon. Michael Ferguson MP, Minister for Health

Hon. Jacquie Petrusma MP, Minister for Human
Services

Rebecca White MP, Shadow Minister for Health and
Human Services, and Labor Spokesperson for Children

The Social Determinants of Health Advocacy Network held its inaugural conference in Hobart last November

Visit our website to view and download some of the presentations

Visit: http://sdohtasmania.org.au

.

What are the social determinants of health?

The word social relates to society and means people.

Determinants of health are - broadly speaking - the things that affect your health - either in a positive way (they protect our health and keep us healthy) or a negative way (they make us sick).

If we put these things together - the social determinants of health are things (systems, products, factors) created, shaped and controlled by people that affect our health.

These things include education, housing, employment, transport and so forth. These are created and shaped by people. And because if this it's possible to change them.

As an example, let's look at transport. We - the people - have created our transport systems. Not necessarily you or I personally but as a society we've done this. The problem is that there are many aspects of the system that are not great - many of our streets aren't cycle or pedestrian friendly, if you live in a rural area public transport options are limited, the number of cars on our roads isn't good for the environment and so forth. All of these things about the transport system can affect our health.

But the great thing is that, because we - the people - developed this system in the first place, we have the ability to change it - to make things better and to improve health as a result.

There are other determinants of health - such as our genes - that we can't change. So let's focus on the things we can do to improve health.

More formally, here's how the literature talks about the social determinants of health:

The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries.

Here's a good place to start your reading:

A great publication on the social determinants of health is The Solid Facts.

Vision of the Network

All Tasmanians have the opportunity to live a long, healthy life regardless of their income, education, employment, gender, sexuality, capabilities, cultural background, who they are or where they live.

Membership

Membership of the Network is open to all Tasmanians who share this vision.

Membership is free of charge. Membership means you become a subscriber to our enews and that you get the opportunity to work with others who are part of this Network to undertake advocacy action.

Membership to the Network can be obtained by providing a name, organisation (where there is one but individuals can join as individuals), address, telephone and email address to the Facilitator by email:

socialdeterminantsofhealthtas@gmail.com

The Network currently has more than 220 members across Tasmania (as well as some interstate) from a broad range of sectors.

“The Commission’s main finding is straightforward. The social conditions in which people are born, live, and work are the single most important determinant of good health or ill health, of a long and productive life, or a short and miserable one. ……..This ends the debate decisively. Health care is an important determinant of health. Lifestyles are important determinants of health. ….But, let me emphasize, it is factors in the social environment that determine access to health services and influence lifestyle choices in the first place”.

Dr Margaret Chan, Director General, World Health Organisation.

Tasmanian Action Sheets on the Social Determinants of Health

Visit the Tasmania Council of Social Service website to download 10 action sheets on the social determinants of health in Tasmania.